GRAPHIC DESIGN + MONEY | (RE)BRANDING :: THE NEW SYMBOL OF THE INDIAN RUPEE by D UDAYA KUMAR

Who knew the world needed another currency symbol?

This month, India unveiled its new symbol for its rupee — a major rebranding, not only of the currency, but also of the nation’s ambitions. Its objective is to get in there with the big guys. And logos can help do the trick.

Lucky for the world, the winning design is, well, winning — a brilliant solution to a tricky problem. Its designer, Dharmalingam Udaya Kumar (with the winning smile), has done an admiral job in providing the world with a new visual cue that reads “India.” It’s a great meeting of east and the west and, with its double horizontal elements, reads “money.”

Check out the contenders (above) and see if you fancy any of them over Kumar’s submission.

Also have a look at Kumar’s competition entry (PDF, below). It’s stunning.

The new symbol of the Indian rupee passes the designKULTUR test for outstanding logos: Any child can draw it. (I know I had fun playing with it today!). It’s not fussy and looks progressive.

Now, what are people going to call it? “Rupee symbol” seems way to bland an appellation for this logo.

Did India need a redo of its Latin-based rupee symbol (₨)? Some think not (see below). designKULTUR says: “a new classic!”

The Symbol of the Indian Rupee approved by the Union Cabinet on 15 July 2010

Indian handicrafts and paper artist Gurpreet Singh shows the new graphic symbol of Indian Rupee